Marjorie Taylor Greene's supporters don't care what critics think

Now that Trump has announced he'll run for president again in 2024, some observers have speculated on his running mate. Since former vice president Mike Pence refused to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss, Trump has been searching for his replacement.

Some suggest Trump will pick Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the first open QAnon supporter elected to Congress. Greene says she and Trump have discussed the possibility that she'll be his 2024 running mate. New York Times journalist Robert Draper says Trump has been considering a Trump-Greene ticket since February.

Greene has been widely criticized by the media, Democrats and even fellow Republicans for promoting dangerous and baseless claims as well as other extreme beliefs. She has harassed her Democratic colleagues in Congress and, in a video, appears to have kicked an 18-year-old activist.

Yet Greene has only grown more prominent in the Republican Party. In just two years, she went from the fringes of the GOP to one of its most influential figures.

Last week, Greene easily won reelection. In an Economist poll from October, 42 percent of Republican respondents saw her favorably and only 20 percent unfavorably.

What explains Greene's popularity and growing influence? Don't her Republican supporters hear these criticisms, or do they not care — or even approve? Could criticisms from Democrats or the media actually enhance her popularity among Republicans in a sort of "backfire effect?"

That's what my co-authors and I wanted to find out. In new research, we find that criticisms of Greene are remarkably ineffective at shifting Republicans' and independents' attitudes toward either Greene or QAnon — even when Republican officials are the critics. On the other hand, we find no evidence of a backfire effect among Republicans. Also, some criticisms make Democrats view both Greene and QAnon more negatively.

Read Alumni, Victor Wu's full analysis for The Washinton Post HERE!